happybunnyloft
New member
Do rabbits need pedigree to qualify for showing? I want to join rabbit shows, but do the rabbits I bring for showing have to be 100% purebred with pedigree certificates?
Do rabbits need pedigree to qualify for showing?
- Thread starter happybunnyloft
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RabbitsOfTheCreek
Netherland Dwarf Breeder & Well-known Member
Not unless you're registering them
But you should be showing purebreds regardless, imo
But you should be showing purebreds regardless, imo
To add to the previous post, you don't need a pedigree to show, but if you start winning and want to gain Grand Champion status (3 legs or wins ) you'll have to register your rabbit, which does require a pedigree. And as was previously stated, you can register your rabbit regardless.
No papers of any kind are required for showing at an ARBA-sanctioned show. The only requirements are that the rabbit fulfills the minimum requirements of the breed standard, and has a permanent identification tattoo in its left ear. Shows are tailored to purebred rabbits, but as one judge I know humorously put it, "If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, we'll call it a duck."
Some very winning rabbits are not 100% purebred. Sometimes this is a result of a breeder (successfully) using crossbreeding to improve the stock, or using crossbreeding to introduce a new variety into a particular breed.
An example of the latter is the champagne variety of Netherland Dwarf, which has been provisionally accepted as an exhibition variety at sanctioned shows (see the working standard here https://arba.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/ChampagneDwarf.pdf). While I understand that champagne dwarfs have been around in Europe for quite a while, there has never been a silvered variety in the Netherland Dwarf in the USA, meaning that unless someone imports champagne dwarf breeding stock, the only way to get the color in U.S. Netherland Dwarfs is to cross a silvered breed into the lines.
I'd encourage you to look into the breed standard for your rabbits (you can order the ARBA Standard of Perfection here https://arba.net/product/standard-of-perfection/). If they seem to follow the standard, by all means, take them to a show and see what the judges have to say! Whether or not they win anything, you will almost certainly learn a lot, and possibly make some new friends.
Actually, you cannot register your rabbit unless it has a 3-generation pedigree, with all of the ancestors being the same breed. I think maybe you meant, "you can show your rabbit regardless"...?
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No, I said what I meant. Read the first line. My post was very clear: "you'll have to register your rabbit, which does require a pedigree." I just did not get into the specifics of the pedigree requirements. And as previously stated (by Rabbitsofthe creek) they can be registered (regardless of whether you want to champion or not.)No papers of any kind are required for showing at an ARBA-sanctioned show. The only requirements are that the rabbit fulfills the minimum requirements of the breed standard, and has a permanent identification tattoo in its left ear. Shows are tailored to purebred rabbits, but as one judge I know humorously put it, "If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, we'll call it a duck."
Some very winning rabbits are not 100% purebred. Sometimes this is a result of a breeder (successfully) using crossbreeding to improve the stock, or using crossbreeding to introduce a new variety into a particular breed.
An example of the latter is the champagne variety of Netherland Dwarf, which has been provisionally accepted as an exhibition variety at sanctioned shows (see the working standard here https://arba.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/ChampagneDwarf.pdf). While I understand that champagne dwarfs have been around in Europe for quite a while, there has never been a silvered variety in the Netherland Dwarf in the USA, meaning that unless someone imports champagne dwarf breeding stock, the only way to get the color in U.S. Netherland Dwarfs is to cross a silvered breed into the lines.
I'd encourage you to look into the breed standard for your rabbits (you can order the ARBA Standard of Perfection here https://arba.net/product/standard-of-perfection/). If they seem to follow the standard, by all means, take them to a show and see what the judges have to say! Whether or not they win anything, you will almost certainly learn a lot, and possibly make some new friends.
Actually, you cannot register your rabbit unless it has a 3-generation pedigree, with all of the ancestors being the same breed. I think maybe you meant, "you can show your rabbit regardless"...?
MsTemeraire
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Are you in the UK? We don't have ARBA shows here and things are very different, you'll need to look at the British Rabbit Council website for information on shows in the UK.
